INUVIK
When Kaytlin Cooper began her trip to Inuvik late last year, she was worried about being able to maintain her health-required eating habits.

Kaytlin Cooper, who just moved to Inuvik late last year said she figured she would have to order gluten-free products to be delivered to her, but found the products available to suit her dietary needs were beyond what she imagined. - Andrew Livingstone/NNSL photo

Cooper, who moved because of her job as a biologist with the Gwich'in Renewable Resources Board, was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome in 2006, shortly after moving to Canada from England.

Her doctor told her to eliminate a lot of foods from her diet - chocolate, tea, coffee, pop, dairy - and to eat food with more fibre, like brown bread, rice and pasta. While she did find a noticeable improvement to her health, she was still having issues. It was at her seven-year checkup in 2013 when her doctor told her to cut gluten out of her diet.

"I thought it would be difficult, but there were many options in health food stores and certain grocery stores," she said of trying to eat gluten free in Sault St. Marie, Ont., where she was living before her arrival in Inuvik in December "I lost 20 pounds, which was nice, as I was cutting out all the snacks provided at work."

Access to healthy foods in the North is a particularly challenging situation. The higher cost of food and the sometimes reduced quality of products that help to maintain a healthy lifestyle can be difficult for some to attain, either through limited access or financial cost.

For people like Cooper with dietary restrictions, the challenge can be even greater and may require more effort in order to maintain those needs. However, Cooper has found it much easier than she thought it was going to be.

"I thought I would have to order foods and flours online, but was very surprised and happy to see a good stock of items here," she said.

Both Northmart and Stanton's carry a variety of gluten-free products like pre-packaged flour mixes, cookies and veg ground, tofu, frozen bread, pizza, vegan cheese, almond milk and soy milk.

"I was amazed that the prices were not much more than I was paying back in Ontario," she said.

"Sure, buying flours from the bulk store and mixing it yourself is cheaper than packages, but for a small town in the very far north of Canada, I'm very happy with the choices."

Cooper said she has more options here in Inuvik than her mother in England does, and even her sister who lives in Australia.

"They can get different flours, but a lot has to be ordered online or they have to travel to speciality shops," she said. "They don't have much access to cookies, crackers, or mixes."

Jana MacKay, regional nutritionist for the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority, said eating healthy is challenging for people who aren't trying to eat with dietary restrictions, let alone those who are.

"Some places down south there is much more choice, but up here the choices overall are limited but with a specific restriction it is even more so," she said, adding it's important for those living with dietary needs to ease into the change. "The best they can do is to try and make it as easy as possible."

MacKay said meal planning for the week or even batch cooking can help ease the challenge. However, with the cost of food and the sometimes-limited options, it can still be difficult.

"It's important to plan ahead and cook more at home, which in many ways is a benefit because it's usually a lot healthier and you are able to control the ingredients going in."

For two weeks Tanya Milheron-Badgley has been eating gluten free for health reasons. Milheron-Badgley was diagnosed with a chronic illness almost two years ago and has been trying to find ways to keep it under control. After getting advice from her doctor and nutritionist, she decided to go gluten free for at least a month to see if it would have an impact on keeping her illness in check.

While impressed with the options that are available to her at the grocery stores in town, she's found it challenging in a number of ways.

"It's a total lifestyle change," she said. "What's most challenging is preparing a meal for me and then for my family. And with a busy lifestyle, it's challenging to stick with it."

Because of the higher cost of eating gluten free, she said her family continues to eat regular non-gluten-free food. She added being aware of what food has gluten and what doesn't has also been a big change.

"If you're out socializing you aren't always sure what is acceptable," she said, adding reading labels and knowing what products have gluten in them but aren't labelled is a big barrier.

"For the first few days, the best way to describe it was overwhelming," she said. "I think the awareness is there and it's good to know you have options."

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